Ubuntu install on RAID array

I've got a home built server with a huge RAID 5 array. I want to use Ubuntu on this guy, but installation has got me whipped. The system is using my recycled gaming system, an AMD Athlon64 3000+ on a K8T800 motherboard. And a Highpoint RocketRAID 1740 with 4 Seagate 1TB drives in a RAID5.

Now there's a lot of quirks with the way this system is running, but my biggest hurdle is booting after the install. Basically using either the Live CD install or the Server text based install, I have to load the module during install so that the RAID array is recognized and available for install. Install runs fine until boot loader where GRUB fails, but LILO succeeds.

Anyhow, after the install finishes and the system reboots, the kernel doesn't have support for the RAID array and the boot fails because it can't find /sbin/init. Shouldn't the install have added the module for the RAID array to the kernel? How are you supposed to install to devices that require a driver?

You need to have the proper support compiled into the kernel, not compiled as a module. That's the long story short.

Click to expand...

Do you have any sources I can check out about compiling this module into a kernel for a PC that isn't installed? Like can this be done while the server is running on a Live CD?

Nodsu said:

You are trying with the latest Ubuntu version, right?

I have seen Linux distros put the proper modules to initrd at install time.. Maybe try something else than Ubuntu?

Click to expand...

I've tried so many different versions of Ubuntu its kind of funny. Actually one of the quirks I hinted at was that with the 7.04, while the machine boots up, its posts all sorts of errors about the ATA UDMA settings, however using a 6.06, these errors don't show up at all.

I've also noticed that the Ubuntu Server installation uses the generic kernel to install, but then reboots with a server kernel. Meaning I have to use one precompiled driver for installation and a different one after the reboot.

I've also been attempting the initrd remedy, but only succeeded in creating a kernel panic on reboot. Although I also can't find any documentation on how to properly do this either, just random newsgroup postings.

I'm not beyond trying another distro, in which I'm sure Redhat will work. I've just been fond of Ubuntu and thought that this was a great opportunity to dig into a difficult problem and learn something.

Is adding a necessary driver during install something Ubuntu has overlooked? I know that there's an option on the LiveCD to use and updated driver disk, unfortunately, I can't find any documentation anywhere regarding what it takes to actually make one.